Mater Dei’s passing game shines, Notre Dame’s passing game sputters in road loss

BREESE, Ill. — Quincy Notre Dame never could find an answer for Breese Mater Dei’s passing combination of Bryce Reverman and Cameron Haag.

And for the second consecutive week, the Raiders’ passing game has plenty of questions.

Reverman threw four touchdown passes to Haag — three on the same pass pattern — and connected 12 times during the Knights’ 28-7 victory over the Raiders in a battle of two unbeaten teams after four games.

The Raiders (4-1) scored just one touchdown — a 1-yard plunge by Calvin Lavery in the second quarter. QND rushed for 104 yards in the first half but just 10 in the second half. 

Lavery misfired on 27 of his 38 passes and threw two interceptions. He threw for 125 yards, but 42 of them came in the final two minutes of the game. The Raiders’ passing game accounted for just 35 yards and 14 incompletions in 21 attempts in last week’s road victory over Duchesne.  

The first quarter was scoreless. The Knights (5-0) broke the tie on a 16-yard slant pass from Reverman to Haag with 10:03 to play in the second quarter. 

The Raiders then put together their best drive of the game. They marched 59 yards — with 39 of them on the ground by Ben Kasparie — to set up Lavery’s tying score.

QND had possession of the ball with one minute left in the first half. However, three incomplete passes only took 11 seconds off the clock. Jayce Napovanice then fielded Dalton Miller’s punt and returned it to the QND 25. With 20 seconds left before halftime, Reverman hit Haag on another slant pass from 13 yards out for another touchdown.

The conversion kick failed, and the Knights led 13-7.

The Knights took control of the game on the first drive of the third quarter. Napovanice returned the second half kickoff to the Raiders’ 45-yard line. Three minutes later, Haag took a shovel pass from Reverman and scored from four yards out. A 2-point conversion pass from Reverman to Dalton Markus put the hosts ahead 21-7.

Mater Dei scored the last touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter. Reverman hit Haag with yet another slant pass, this time from 13 yards out.

The Raiders were limited to 239 yards of total offense and turned the ball over three times. Kasparie had 81 yards rushing on 15 carries. Napovanice carried the ball 21 times for 104 yards for the Knights, who finished with 288 yards of total offense.